


Bold and Boyful

by Anonymouspotato



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Romance, Shopping, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Veth also has like two lines, Widojest Secret Santa 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymouspotato/pseuds/Anonymouspotato
Summary: Caleb and Jester go shopping. Yearning ensues. Happy holidays!
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Bold and Boyful

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jade_Sabre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Sabre/gifts).



He was definitely going to regret this, but it was already a little too late for that.

Caleb shook his head and dug his hands further into his pockets. The perpetual starlight of Rosohna hung above him, the pale white-grey stone under his feet clicked like a timepiece every time the heel of his boot struck the ground, his nearly-bursting spellbook hung off his hip, nearly pulling him off balance, and in the middle of it all was Jester, humming quietly to herself a few paces ahead of him, the jewelry on her horns and tails sparkling like dewdrops in the dim light.

He was just going to make a quick trip out to look for spell components, nothing serious, but then Beau mentioned it would be easier if he brought one of the non-humans with him, and Jester had offered, and he could never really say no to her. So now she was leading him in the direction of a components shop where they could both stock up on materials, and she even promised to split the payment between them if he let her go to a bookstore afterwards. He’d like to think she knew him well enough  ~~ (if not enough as he’d like) ~~ to know that he would never get between anyone and a good book, so he had a sneaking suspicion she was going to drag him to look at smut. He was strangely unbothered by the idea, probably  ~~ (definitely) ~~ because it was Jester. And perhaps there’d be a spare spell scroll in it for him.

“Caaaaayleeeeb!” She called, her eyebrow quirking up. “How much further?”

“Just a few minutes. Take this right.”

They turned the corner and down the road, Jester starting to skip as she fell backwards to keep up with him.

“So, what exactly is it that you’re looking for, exactly?”

“Not a lot, just a few basic components and some more pearls.”

“Does that mean you have to buy more bat shit?”

“I’m afraid so.” He cracked a wry smile, and her eyes brightened before she started pouting cartoonishly.

“Maybe you should get a wand or pendant like other wizards have or something, then you wouldn’t have to worry about smelling stinky anymore, now that you’re trying to be clean. You could try my symbol of The Traveler if you wanted?” 

“I don’t think that would work for my magic, Jester.”

“That’s a shame. Oooh, maybe antlers? I’ve heard some people use antlers to channel their magic. Then we could match!” She gestures to her horns and tossed her head back and forth. Caleb couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s, ah, very sweet of you, but I don’t think that would work, either.”

“Hmm...I’ll have to think about it,” She tapped her chin. “Oh, look! This is the place, right?”

She gestured to the building they were walking up to, a slanted structure with brick walls and crude stone columns holding up the roof in the front. It smelled like dust and the arcane. “Ja, it is.”

“Oh, wow! This is so cool! Have you ever been here before?”

“No, I just got the address from Essek.”

Jester nodded and pushed the door open, triggering the bell hanging inside, although it was so crusted over with unidentifiable  _ stuff _ the sound was less a ringing and more of a dull knocking. Caleb followed her inside.

The walls were covered in jars and vials and bottles of arcane supplies, and sitting in the corner on a stool behind a low table was an elderly hobgoblin woman with brick red skin, dark brown curls of hair held in about five very uneven ponytails, and very calloused hands. She looked at him with suspicion before turning her gaze to Jester. “Anything I can help you with, dear?”

“Oh, hi! My friend Cayleb -” She gestured to him, “-Is looking for stuff for his spells, but he probably knows what he needs, so he can just tell you. Unless you have some interesting doohickeys or something?”

“Only interesting for mages. What can I help you with?”

“Ah, thank you,  _ Grossmutter. _ I am looking for some ah, bat guano and sulfur for fire spells, as well as a bird feather and some thread.”

She nodded slowly and gestured at the room. “Batshit and sulfur over there. Grab a feather from the ceiling — they’re labeled if you need a specific one — I’ll get you some thread. You need a specific kind?”

“A tougher fiber would be nice, I need to crust it over with material.” Caleb measured out some amounts of his Fireball components and turned around to see Jester standing on her toes, perusing the feathers.

“Do you need a specific kind?”

“Uh, no, just a feather.”

“Alright then!” She plucked a slim black feather from the ceiling and held it out to him, “Here you go!”

Gods, he hated how his heart had turned something so simple into such a battle. He slowly reached out and took the feather from her, their fingers brushing for just a second, and he heard a  _ thump _ once in his ears.

He nodded at her, and smiled awkwardly, before gripping the feather in his hand and setting it, along with the Fireball components, on the table. The woman cut him a length of twine, coin exchanged hands, and they walked out of the shop with a crawling sensation on the back of Caleb’s neck.

“Are you alright, Cayleb? You look a little green.”

“I’m, ah. I’ll be fine. I promise, Jester.”

She looked at him with one eyebrow scrunched up, and as much as they talk about Caduceus’ powers of perception, Jester made him feel goddamn  _ transparent. _ He’s never going to be able to hide himself from her. He wasn’t sure if that thought should be comforting or not.

Her expression melted from suspicion to comfort. “You know you can talk to me if something’s going on, right? You seem really skittish lately. Like, you were always kind of skittish, but now it’s  _ really  _ bad. Are you worrying about Ickython?”

Her big, magenta eyes stared him down and he almost felt like a caught butterfly, pinned by the weight of her gaze and the power of empathy he does not deserve. His heart twisted and ached and stretched in his chest, and of course Jester could tell he was more nervous now. She backed away and smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I didn’t want to make you scared. Do you want to look at regular books before going to the  _ other  _ store?”

“...Ja.”

“Awesome!” She smiled brightly and started marching down the road. She got a few steps before stopping mid-stride, one leg lifted in the air. “It’s this way, right?”

“I am afraid not.”

She hopped around on one foot and continued walking the other direction, towards the bookstore Essek also made sure Caleb knew was there. As he started walking, he felt a tugging as Jester wrapped her tail around his wrist. He had to resist the urge to burst into flames on the spot.

The bookstore was...well, a bookstore, with tall stone shelves and about a dozen or so other people scattered through the building, looking over the merchandise or talking quietly to the book seller. A number of the titles were written in a language he didn’t know — Undercommon, probably — but there were plenty of selections in common, although he couldn’t find anything of an arcane bent. 

Jester immediately asked the shopkeep, a bugbear man with a well-kept goatee, where the most sappy and dramatic romance novels were. Caleb looked over historical texts, and a quick Comprehend Languages spell let him find one on dunamantic history, both how it intertwined with the faith of the Luxon, and how it had branched into a school of arcane study. A bit theoretical for his tastes, but exceptional useful, and the prose was-

“Cayleb! What are you looking at?”

He jumped to the side as Jester leaned in to look at his book. “Ah, Jester. I did not, uh, notice you there. You are very sneaky when you want to be.”

“I know!” She grinned and slowly looked over at the book. “Oh, I didn’t know you had learned Undercommon.”

“I haven’t.” He gestured to his eyes, which were covered in a thin green film,a byproduct of his spell.

“Oooohhhh. That’s very cool, Cayleb. I wish my magic could do that.”

“Thank you, Jester, but your magic is far more interesting than mine. You can summon a giant deadly lollipop out of nothing, I cannot do anything like that.”

“ _ Cayleb. _ I’m sure you could if you wanted to. You’re very smart.”

Between her expression and the heat in his face, Caleb was fairly sure he was blushing by now. He frantically looked around the room, and then noticed the book tucked under Jester’s arm. “Oh, what have you got there?”

“Oh, this?” She held it up. “I found it in the romance section. It’s called  _ The Star of Secrets. _ It’s about a powerful sorceress trying to destroy the world, only to be softened by the love of a simple peasant boy.” She sighed and fanned herself.

“It sounds very sweet.”

“It is! I’m going to buy it.”

“I could buy it for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Cayleb. I can buy my own books.”

“I know you can, I would just like to give you a gift.”

“Hmmm...okay, but you  _ have _ to let me buy you something from the  _ other _ bookshop, okay?”

“...Agreed.” He was  _ definitely  _ blushing now.

“Good.” She smiled and handed him the book, then put on a faux upper class accent. “Shall we, then?”

“We shall.”

Caleb paid for both books with a small smile on his face and Jester’s tail wrapped around his ankle. The other bookstore was a lot smaller and had the most unpleasant smell, but he distracted himself by asking the person watching the shop some very awkward questions while Jester rearranged the books all around the building. They walked out with two very illicit texts and laughs on each of their lips. The walk back to the Xhorhaus happened in comfortable silence.

“Thank you, Jester.” Caleb murmured under his breath as they walked up to the door. “I appreciate the company.”

“Thank you for letting me come with you! And for buying my book.” She smiled even wider as he handed her new readings over to her. “I’m going to  _ enjoy _ these.” She waggled her eyebrows, and he couldn’t help but wheeze an embarrassed laugh. 

The two of them locked eyes, and Caleb felt frozen again. For once, his internal clock was failing him. She might’ve leaned in. He might’ve reached for her hand. He wasn’t quite sure. Then, the door swung open, and Veth’s shrill voice erupted from behind them. “Oh,  _ there  _ you two are. Where have you been?”

The two of them shared a look. “Nowhere in particular.”

“Caleb bought me this!” Jester shoved her new smut in Veth’s face. Veth gasped dramatically, and Caleb tried his very best to melt into the ground. 

Jester would be the death of him someday, he was sure of it, but now it didn’t seem like such a bad way to go.


End file.
